1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to implements employed for the collection and subsequent transportation to a diagnostic laboratory of biological specimens collected from a patient by medical personnel, and more specifically concerns a disposable tray compartmented for initially containing the specimen collection implements and subsequently serving as an aid during the specimen collection procedure.
2. State of the Prior Art
Numerous medical diagnostic procedures require the collection of a small sample of tissue or fluid from a patient for examination and analysis at a laboratory which may be distant from the specimen collection site. The specimen collection procedure may involve a preparatory step by which the area from which the specimen is to be collected is first cleansed, followed by the actual collection of the specimen from the body of the patient and placement of the medical specimen upon or into a suitable carrier which may be a glass slide or a container. A preservative may be applied to the specimen on the glass slide, or in the case of a vial, a quantity of preservative liquid is contained in the vial prior to placement thereinto of the specimen. Finally, the specimen carrier is itself placed in a package designed to protect both carrier and specimen during transport to the diagnostic laboratory location.
In order to facilitate the task of the medical personnel involved, many specimen collection kits have been developed which may include an assortment of collection implements, specimen carriers, a supply of antiseptic and specimen preservation liquids, as well as the protective packaging for delivery of the specimen to the laboratory. The contents of such kits varies depending on the specific type of medical specimen to be collected. Generally, however, such specimen collection kits have included disposable packages of chip board, which is a thin but relatively stiff type of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or packages of vacuum formed thin plastic. Such kits have also been packaged on disposable trays, both simple trays as well as compartmented trays which are sealed in a plastic film covering for holding together the kit contents.
Very recently the FDA granted approval to a Pap Smear test procedure in which a tissue specimen is collected in the usual way from the patient's cervical area, but then placed in a small vial containing a preservative liquid. The vial containing the tissue specimen is then sent to the laboratory for analysis. This differs from prior Pap Smear collection procedures where the tissue specimen was deposited on a glass slide and treated with a fixative for preservation during transport to the diagnostic laboratory.
What is needed is a specimen collection kit which implements the newly approved procedure so as to speed and facilitate the procedure.